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Henry
Henry is a mixed-traffic engine from Derby. He was later rebuilt at Crewe. History Henry was built at the Derby Works in 1919 from designs stolen from Sir Nigel Gresley. The Midland Railway had intended to outshine the Great Northern by taking Gresley's designs and claiming it as their own. Unfortunately the plans they acquired were rejected drafts for Gresley's Pacific type express engines and they learned the truth too late when they completed a poor-steaming engine that looked like a cross between a GNR/LNER Class A1 and a GNR C1 Atlantic. In 1922, Henry was sold to the North Western Railway, which had short supply of engines and was in a desperate state. Henry proved more than irritable, both emotionally and physically. Not long after his arrival he stopped in the Ballahoo Tunnel having lost his temper with the rain. The railway's director, Sir Topham Hatt, lost his patience as well and had Henry left in the tunnel and a new bore dug out. It wasn't until the following year when Henry was let out to assist with the express when the usual locomotive burst a safety valve. While Henry's temperament had improved somewhat during his spell in the tunnel, his condition had become worse than before and he spent much of his time ill in the sheds. By 1935 Sir Topham Hatt considered to scrap him but decided to give another chance and see what the matter was. Henry was built with a small firebox and couldn't burn regular coal like the other engines could. As Sudrian coal was rarely commissioned and mined, Sir Topham Hatt opted for Henry to use welsh coal. Henry steamed well afterwards but in winter that year, he was involved in a serious accident whilst hauling the then new train, the Flying Kipper. Sir Topham Hatt then decided to put Henry's problems to an end once and for all and sent the poor steamer to Crewe. Sir William Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the LMS and close friend to Sir Topham Hatt, agreed to rebuild Henry as a Class Black 5 engine. Since then Henry has given very little trouble. Henry has had a quiet life, his versatile abilities giving him the opportunity to take on any job. As a result he periodically swaps duties with other engines if they misbehave. One of Henry's most notable events was in 1968 when he rescued two trains with failed diesel engines whilst suffering from a damaged regulator himself. In later years new problems started acting up for Henry, such as losing his tender, damaging his smokebox, and breaking a tyre on one his drive wheels. He was sent to Crovan's Gate Works in 1993 for an overhaul but when completed had the misfortune of running in a red undercoat. Henry has continued to be a good steamer afterwards. Persona Henry is generally well-behaved, but he is occasionally arrogant and vain. Henry is a hard worker at heart, but as originally built his frequent bouts of illness hindered his work. His illness almost always involved his boiler having some sort of issue. Basis Henry was originally built from plans discarded by Gresley for a four-cylinder express engine. The plans were stolen and used by Derby to build the engine for the Midland Railway. The resulting engine resembled a hybrid of a GNR/LNER Class A1 and a GNR C1 Atlantic and was an economical nightmare. In 1935 Henry was rebuilt by Stanier into his LMS Black 5 Class design. Henry was originally coupled with a Stanier tender but since 1957 has used a Fowler tender when the former proved too big for the North Western Railway's services. Livery Henry is currently painted in the North Western Railway's secondary standard livery of green with red-and-yellow lining and the number "3" painted on his tender sides in yellow. When he was first out-shopped of Derby Works he was painted in the Midland Railway's original pre-1883 green as an admonition of his state as a poor steamer. After being allowed out of the tunnel he was repainted NWR blue with red and yellow lining in 1923 and remained so until 1925, when he was repainted in his current livery. Category:Engines Category:Steam Engines Category:Island of Sodor Category:North Western Railway Category:Tender Engines